How to show or hide file extensions in Windows 7

In this tutorial, we will show you how to show or hide file name extension on windows 7. File extensions can give you more information on the type of file you are dealing with, especially when the icon is not descriptive enough.

For example, a file without extension can look be named like this: "filename"
while a file with extension is named as follows: "filename.txt"

As you can see, in the second mode, with the extension, you can easily tell it is a text file. Extensions are usually 3 letters long (but can be more, or less)

Whether you want to see extensions or not is also a matter of personal preference. Some people do not like to see the extensions as they feel it's cluttering their desktop unnecessarily, while others want to see the file types.

On a different note, you should never click on an EXE file if you are not sure what that file is, as those files can be used to install viruses or malware on your computer.

To show or disable file extensions, follow the steps below:
1) Click on the Windows 7 Start Icon in the bottom left corner of the screen
2) Click on Control Panel
3) Click on Appearance and Personalization
4) Click on Folder Options
5) Go to the VIEW tab
6) Either check or uncheck the option "Hide Extensions for Known File Types". If you check it, then the extensions will not be visible. If you uncheck it, you will see the extensions for every file type.

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